A matter of time
by Captainfredrickwentworth
Summary: AU The Doctor finds himself face to face with an old friend...but what is she doing there and why do her eyes glow with the power of a thousand suns? She is the Bad Wolf and she will do anything she can to protect those she loves. Introduction a little bit weird. real story starts to happen in chapter six. Spoilers for 50th and Christmas special 2013. First eleven & Rose fic.
1. A strange man with a bowtie

**Ok so I know it's a little bit nuts for me to be having four stories running at once but I couldn't contain it any longer ok? I've had this first chapter written for like a week now and I couldn't help myself. It's my first Rose/eleven so please be nice. Never thought I'd write Rose and eleven but I read some and It's just fantastic! Hope you like it ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor who, I just have fun with it ;)**

* * *

The Doctor ambled into the small café and hurried to claim them a table. Amy had said she would only be a few minutes but he knew that she would take a while so he started to go through the menu and look around the place. It was a fancy café, not one of those cheap diners but it had a homey sort of air to it. The smell of expensive coffee and leather lingered in the air and the Doctor felt relaxed, more relaxed then he'd allowed himself to be since...No he couldn't think of her, not then, she was in the other world living the life he'd given her, she'd always loved that regeneration anyway.

He noticed someone moving towards him and he nearly chocked just looking at her. There standing before him with a little notepad and a waitress's uniform was Rose Tyler and she looked just as amazing as when he'd first seen her, not a day older.

"So what would you like to order today?" she asked him with a smile plastered on her face.

He had to make himself speak and it was very, very difficult "Uh...well I'm waiting for a friend of mine but you can stay for a while if you like", he grinned at her "Not being creepy or anything, I just thought you might need a lunchbreak".

Rose was surprised by the stranger's offer but accepted anyway and went to tell the manager she was taking her break, there was something about this man that seemed oddly familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

When she reappeared the Doctor felt something stir in his hearts, he had pushed his love for her away so that he would no longer feel the heartbreak of losing her to his double, but now his feelings were resurfacing and hitting him in the face as if they knew he was the stupidest man alive for ever letting go of her.

"So tell me about yourself Rose" he gave her another sweet smile.

"Oh well" Rose wondered for a second how he knew her name but of course she was wearing a nametag "I've not led a very exciting life for a few years now, I used to travel all the time but that's been long over. I have no family or relatives, I was going to be married once but he died before we could. I've worked at many of the cafes in the city and some other jobs which I can't discuss" she stopped in her tracks, there she was spilling everything out to a complete stranger who she didn't even know at all, she didn't even know his name.

"It sounds like you need to get back out and have another adventure" he grinned at her and as if it was an automatic response, she grinned back at him with that tongue-in-teeth grin that he had fallen in love with an for those years ago.

"Well I hope so" she let out a sigh "my friend I travel with is bound to come here sometime; it's just the matter of if I have to wait a day or a century".

Something in her manner made him realise that she wasn't exaggerating when she said a century. How long had she lived if everyone else was gone? How had she got back and how on Earth was her lifespan altered?

"Oi Raggedy man" came a loud Scottish accent from the doorway "I need you".

"Well I suppose that's my queue to go back to work" Rose stood up to leave, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked cheekily.

Rose nodded "Sure why not?" she grinned and walked back behind the counter where she watched him leave. When they were outside the red haired woman pulled out her phone to show him something and he put little adorable glasses on to read whatever she was showing him. Soon after, they walked up the grassy hill and into the park beyond. She watched as for just one moment he turned to look back at her. She blushed and turned away as he grinned at her again. Why was she acting like that? Why was some random guy turning her into a little giggling schoolgirl? She loved the Doctor did she not?

* * *

The Doctor rushed back to the TARDIS after seeing Rose again "Alright so I need to check that there aren't any holes I need to repair" he started setting the coordinates.

"So who was that woman anyway?" Amy asked from her perch on the railing "Or are you gonna make a habit of charming women in cafes?"

"I did not CHARM her" the Doctor looked at her indignantly "Besides I already know her".

"Then who is she Doctor because you've never mentioned her before" Amy watched the Doctor's face as he sighed and sat down beside her.

"Listen pond, the only reason I haven't talked about her is because I thought she was lost, I left her in a parallel world so that she could have a new life" his head hung low as he spoke, the shame of it washing over him.

"A new life?!" Amy slapped his arm "You don't leave people alone in another world and call it a new life!"

"She wasn't alone, she had her mother and a father and a little brother, not to mention her friends there...and she had..." he took a deep breath "I left her a human clone of myself that she could grow old with and have a proper life with".

"Hold on" Amy held up her hand "So you left her with a human version of you so that they could have a life together, Doctor that's so sweet but why would you do that?"

"Because pond" he sat up slightly and grinned at her "Rose Tyler is the only human I've ever fallen in love with".

Amy let out a noise that sounded like "Naaaaaaawwww" but when she spoke again her face was deadly serious "Alright so now two things, one, why hasn't she slapped you yet? I mean if you left me with a clone of you and said have a great life I'd be pretty annoyed to be honest and two, how on Earth is she even here?"

"Well you know how I told you about regeneration?" Amy nodded "Yes well I knew her in my past regeneration and the clone I left her looked like the old me as well".

"So she doesn't know who you are" Amy nodded slowly "Now I get it, but that still doesn't tell us why she's here".

"Yes well I don't know yet so tomorrow I'm going to go talk to her again and hope for the best" he sighed deeply and nodded "Tomorrow".

* * *

Hours after the stranger had been around; Rose finished up her shift and put her apron and nametag back in the storeroom with all the others. That was when she noticed something. The nametag wasn't her nametag, she had never even realised it but she had been serving customers all day as 'Alisha' instead of Rose. Then another even weirder thought struck her, the stranger had said her name, he had said Rose and said he could tell from her nametag. 'Some excuse' she thought to herself, he was probably a stalker who'd be following her home later.

* * *

**So...thoughts? I'm keen to hear how you thought it went. this story will be updated probably just as often as The Return of the Wolf if I can manage it. Being sick home from school does give one time to write fanfiction :P Also means I can't get in trouble for doing nothing because i'm keeping my brain active ;) Anyway I really hope you like it :D**


	2. Amy's Idea

**Hello. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the response to this story. 52 follows of a little over a thousand words? That's insane! Thank you guys so much! I really hope I don't disappoint with this next chapter (Fingers crossed) Tell me what you think :) PS I just made up a random time for Jack to meet eleven, I have no idea about Jack's timeline at that point so I made it up.**

* * *

Rose's day at work the next day was painfully slow. She'd spent it having to listen to the other waitress's constant bickering about anything and everything so by evening she'd had enough. It was bad enough that she'd been separated from the man she loved, but being forced to work in places like that? Well they were a whole other challenge.

She packed up early and took her usual walk through the park; it helped her think about things. The Doctor still seemed to have no idea that she was back yet. She couldn't risk working anywhere where they would really check into her background because really, she was dead in this universe.

She wandered aimlessly among the trees, humming to herself and trying to get her mind off a certain alien with two hearts. Everything was so much more difficult to cope with now that she knew she was in the right universe and that he just hadn't come back yet.

A rustling in a bush startled her and she wheeled around, no one was there but she was sure that there had been someone or something somewhere in the park. I wasn't uncommon for aliens to want to take her, though they usually wanted her to tell them where the Doctor was which of course was something she not only didn't know but was clamouring to find out.

"Alright that's enough" she said out loud after hearing the rustles yet again. She turned and shot golden light from her hand at the bush. It disintegrated away leaving the stranger sitting there looking both impressed and absolutely bewildered.

"You" she used the light inside of her to pick him up and push him against the tree "Do you think you're the first alien to try and take me? Hmm well you're certainly more human looking then the rest but that doesn't mean anything, what do you want with me? If you want the Doctor then I'm sorry but he's gone, I haven't travelled with him for ages".

"I'm not trying to take you" the 'man' panted "I really didn't mean to frighten you".

"You didn't frighten me" she sighed and put him back down "What do you think I'm frightened of? The bowtie, what?"

"Hey bowties are cool" he raised his arms to straighten it "So Rose what are you doing in this universe?"

"Oh so you know about that then?" Rose kept her voice flat and strong but she couldn't help but feel a little tingle of relief that someone knew that she wasn't dead "So what are you then? An investigator? I know you're not human, especially now I can smell it on you, the stench of space".

"Of course I know about that" he threw up his hands in exasperation "I know it all Rose Tyler, but I would rather keep my race private if that's alright with you".

"Fine by me" she shrugged "It doesn't matter what race you are I can still kick your butt".

"I'd still keep coming back to find you" he said a little bit more intimately then he'd intended and it made her eyebrow shoot up.

"Then I'd just have to regenerate or something" she shrugged again "Can you detect me if I regenerate?"

"Well I don't know" he made a nonchalant noise and stepped closer "I had no idea you were even a timelady".

"Well technically I'm not" she was smiling now "I am a superior race. There's only one of me and there'll only ever be one of me".

"You can't have children with a human?" he asked, suddenly even more saddened for her. Here she was alone in the universe and she could even attempt to have a family, that was until she returned to him, if she did. He was sure they would be able to if that was what she wanted, he wanted her with him again and if she was waiting then he would invite her, but not yet.

Rose shifted uncomfortably at the question "Of course not" she turned away as if ashamed "I was human, I could have had children but after bad wolf it would never have been possible, not that I wanted it to be with them anyway".

He shifted closer and put a hand under her chin, tilting it up to face him "Don't feel sorry for yourself Rose, you are fantastic, brilliant and just plain cool" he grinned at her.

She felt the corners of her mouth twitch but refused to allow herself to smile "I need to go now".

"Oh yes of course" he withdrew his hand and placed it at his side "See you around Rose Tyler".

"I seriously doubt that mate" she shook her head "Not if I can help it" she added before disappearing in a shower of golden sparks.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled, racing towards him "What in the world was that?"

"That Amy Pond" another grin lit up his face "Was my Rose Tyler at her greatest".

"Are you sure that wasn't fireworks? Because it looked a lot like fireworks" Amy quirked an eyebrow "I told you that stalking her in the park wasn't a good idea" she sighed "You know how hard it was for me to not yell out Doctor the whole time? I can't just say 'Hey you!' Or 'Oi'".

"I thought you called me raggedy man anyway" he pouted at her.

"Of course Doctor, of course" she patted his shoulder "Tomorrow I'm going into that café alright? Might be a little less creepy approach".

"You'd do it? Seriously?"

"Oh because it's such a scary task" she rolled her eyes "honestly Doctor all I'm going to do it walk into a café and talk to a woman who may or may not be an alien now" she shrugged "It's just like living with you, except she's female, has cool powers and isn't a complete child".

"You don't even know her yet" the Doctor smirked.

"Oh but I will" Amy grinned "I will get to know her and we will become best friends".

"Well" the Doctor shrugged "You probably would get along actually".

"Good to know" she grinned "Come on then raggedy man, let's get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow".

* * *

It the morning the Doctor raced around the TARDIS looking for Amy, for once in his life he'd actually slept a whole night, in fact he'd overslept which had never happened and he was then missing Amy because of it. He had searched her room and any of the other rooms she was usually in but he still couldn't find her. Then it clicked, of course! She was probably having a lovely breakfast with a certain blonde. They had left the TARDIS in the same park when they went to sleep for the night so he ran outside and down to the last tree to look down into the café. Sure enough, Amy was inside and she looked to have just offered Rose a seat.

* * *

"I'm Amy by the way" she reached out her hand.

"Rose" Rose shook her hand "but I suppose you already know that".

"Well yeah" Amy said awkwardly "but you really don't have to worry about us alright, we're human and my friend's probably smarter than he should be".

To Amy's surprise Rose laughed "Oh I know more than enough about having a friend whose way too intelligent for their own good".  
"Yeah well he's the best all the same" Amy nodded to herself.

"Oh yeah of course, don't get me wrong I mean this guy was amazing, brilliant and he had the best hair you'd ever see" she giggled "Want to see him?"

"Sure" Amy sat up in her chair; she was really interested to see this previous form of the Doctor.

Rose pulled out her wallet from her pocket and opened it up to a photo of her and a very handsome man in a pinstriped suit and a long brown trench coat "There he is".

"Wow" Amy tried not to gasp "He's certainly a good looking man" she nodded in approval "So what happened to him? Why isn't he here with you?"

Rose looked uncomfortable for a minute "He left me to try and give me a better life, but he never realised the only life I could ever lead is with him. Now all of my family are gone and buried in another universe I have to just wait here until he comes back".

"Don't give up hope Rose" Amy smiled sweetly at her "the universe tends to work these things out eventually".

Rose laughed and grinned at her "You sounded just like him then".

Amy laughed too, suppose she may have a little "If you really want to find him then why don't you try looking? You've got the whole of time and space to search through don't you? I mean provided he has a vortex manipulator".

"Do you know where I can get one?" she asked Amy excitedly.

"My friend might have one, I'll go back and ask him, he's gonna be livid when he finds out I've wandered off".

"Thank you Amy" Rose jumped up from her seat and hugged the other girl "Even if it takes me a thousand years to find him, I'll still get to see the universe".

Amy laughed and hugged her back "Right, I'll be back in a minute" she raced towards the door and out onto the grass where she knew the Doctor would be waiting for her.

* * *

Rose watched as the strange man appeared from behind a tree and appeared to be scolding her for something "Honestly pond, you'd think that I just have vortex manipulators growing in my ship" he grumbled "Don't worry I do know where we can get one, I deactivated it a long time ago but it still works. I really don't get why you didn't just tell her that I'm here I mean, why does she have to go sailing off into the universe alone, it's dangerous and she'll undoubtedly get hurt".

"But she's got magic powers" Amy wiggled her fingers in his face.

The Doctor shook his head "Something tells me those 'magic powers' won't get her far, more like a low range teleportation ability".

"So are we getting this vortex manipulator or what?" Amy asked impatiently.

"Why are you so desperately trying to get her back out into the universe?" He frowned at her "Don't you trust me with her".

"I trust you Doctor but I want the choice to be hers" Amy crossed her arms defiantly "You left her with a clone so I want it to be up to her if she wants you back or not".

The Doctor thought about it for a moment and nodded "I suppose that is what's fair, now come along Pond, we've got to pay a visit to an old friend".

* * *

Jack walked along the path on his way back to the Torchwood hub. It had been a long day and he really wasn't feeling the best, so when a young man stepped out in front of him he almost throttled the guy.

"Jack can you stop for just a minute?" the Doctor pleaded.

"I don't even know who you are" Jack frowned at the man.

"Captain Jack Harkness you stop right there or I'll sonic you" he once again stepped in front of him and pointed his sonic screwdriver at him.

Jack's face lit up "Doctor is that you? You've regenerated!" he took in the Doctor's appearance "Kinda miss the hair" he joked "though I have to say I love the bowtie".

"Bowties are cool" the Doctor nodded in agreement "Now Jack I need that vortex manipulator I deactivated a long time ago".

"What for? You've got the TARDIS don't you?"

"Oh yes I have the TARDIS but a very good friend of ours needs it" he grinned "Jack, Rose is in this universe, in London right now as we speak".

"But how? I thought you trapped her. Sorry to use that word but it basically describes what you did".

"I know!" came Amy's voice from behind the Doctor as she pushed him aside "He thinks he can leave her in a parallel universe with a clone of him and call it a life! Amy Pond by the way" she held out her hand.

Jack grinned "Always a pleasure to meet the Doctor's companions".

"Likewise" Amy smiled at him "So do you have a vortex manipulator by any chance?"

"I do actually, but why does Rose need it? Why now?"

"Well because she doesn't recognise him and before he goes barging in and tells her who he is I'm gonna give her a choice this time, she gets to decide whether she wants him or not" Amy smirked triumphantly.

"Oh I like her!" Jack exclaimed excitedly to the Doctor.

"I gave her a choice last time" the Doctor shook his head "She kissed the clone instead of me".

"Probably only because you were too chicken to tell her how you feel" Jack shook his head "And now look at you. She's got to get used to a different body now, no more fantastic hair just a bowtie and a whopping great chin".

The Doctor touched his chin for a moment "I like my chin now" he stated proudly "Sure it took a bit of getting used to but I'm quite attached to it now".

"Come on Doctor" Amy pulled on his arm "Let's go get this thing".

* * *

**So? Amy wants to cut Rose loose and let her decide what she wants to do. The Doctor decides that that is fair. Also Rose doesn't know where Jack is in this so she couldn't go and find him. Tell me what you think about it and i'll try to update soon :) AND I'd just like to thank you all for such a great response! That's got to be a new record time :P**


	3. Traveling again

**Okay so this is full of dialogue I know but the next chapter after this is going to be better. This is just to 'get things on the road' so to speak. Anyway I hope you like it and please let me know what you think :)**

The Doctor and Amy sat waiting for Jack to return. They had volunteered to go with him but he said it would be quicker if he went alone. Amy looked over at the Doctor to see him staring out into the distance.

"What's wrong Doctor?" she nudged him with her elbow.

He looked over at her and smiled "Nothing's wrong, I'm just thinking".

"About Rose?"

"Yeah" he nodded "I just don't know..."

"And that kills you doesn't it?" Amy cut him off and smiled at him fondly "It'll be ok as long as you give her space".

"Are you planning to tell her who I am before or after you give her the vortex manipulator?" He asked suddenly, ignoring her teasing.

"Well I don't know really, maybe I shouldn't so then you have to go looking for her, it'll give you something to do" she added with a laugh.

"You mean besides saving the universe?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Yeah well we haven't done that in a while" she shrugged "You need a challenge".

He sat up straighter at that "A challenge you say" his eye were lit up for a moment "but it really is too dangerous Pond, she could be killed before I even got to her".

"I seriously doubt that Doctor" Amy laughed "Did you see her the other night? She had you on your knees!"

"I was not on my knees!" the Doctor exclaimed just as Jack returned.

"Oh boy" Jack grinned "I really hope you're talking about what I think you're talking about" he winked and Amy just stared at him, open mouthed.

"Did you get it?" the Doctor rose to his feet, ignoring Jack's words.

"Right here Doc" he passed him the device "Are you sure you want to let her do this?"

"Yeah" the Doctor nodded "It is dangerous but so is travelling with me...and...and she deserves to see the universe, even if she doesn't want to see it with me".

"Cheer up Doctor" Jack clapped him on the back "Who wouldn't fall for that chin" he winked.

"Come on Doctor" Amy pulled him away before he could complain about Jack's opinion on his chin "See you later Captain Jack" she gave a half-hearted salute.

"Come visit some time" he grinned "Catch you later Doc".

Amy managed to pull the Doctor all the way back to the TARDIS and she held the vortex manipulator while he landed them. She recognised the look on his face, he was determined. She felt bad that she was just letting Rose go but she knew that if she were in Rose's place then she would thank her for it afterward.

The Doctor turned to her as they landed back in the park "So will you go alone?"

"Yeah" she nodded "Do you have like a map I can give her? I have a plan but I need to give her some guidance first" Amy spoke with certainty.

"Here" the Doctor pulled out a list of planets that were colour-coded with different conditions and safety ranges.

"You did all this?" Amy asked in astonishment.

"Well yeah" the Doctor shrugged "I know these off by heart but I thought I should make her a list seeing as she most definitely hasn't been to them all".

"You really care about her don't you?" Amy smiled at him and gave him a quick hug "Don't worry, by the time I'm through you'll have your Rose and she'll have her Doctor" she gave him one last reassuring pat on the shoulder and exited the TARDIS.

She walked through the park and down to the café, the vortex manipulator safely tucked away in a satchel by her side. When she reached the door she took a deep breath and stepped inside slowly.

Rose looked up from the counter and waved to her. There was only one other customer in the shop so Rose threw off her apron and yelled something about a lunchbreak to her boss before leading Amy back outside.

"So?" she asked when they were out on the slope towards the park "Did you manage to get it?"

Amy grinned at her and opened the satchel to reveal the device "I'll give it to you under a few conditions".

"Shoot" Rose laughed "You realise I could just take it by force right?"

"Yeah but you're too good of a person" Amy pulled out the list and a rough map "These will help you on your journey" she handed them to the other woman "There are a few rules" she recited the Doctor's earlier warning "Firstly you must only travel into the future and back to the present" Rose nodded "Secondly, you must leave any planet you find to be on the red list" she gestured to a section of the Doctor's list "Thirdly, you must keep out of trouble, no messing with important events" she paused.

"And fourthly?" Rose asked.

Amy looked once again into the girls eyes "Have a fantastic time" she recited exactly what the Doctor had told her to say.

"Thank you" Rose grinned at her.

"It's written there just in case" Amy nodded to the bottom of the paper.

"Nice writing" Rose traced a finger over the loopy letters.

"It's my friends" Amy nodded.

"Why don't you come with me?" Rose asked suddenly "I mean you're travelling anyway aren't you?"

"Well yeah" Amy replied "But I don't really think I could leave my friend".

At that moment the Doctor came down the hill to stand behind Amy, trying his best to avoid looking Rose straight in the eye. "Oh hello again" Rose greeted him "Thanks for this" she waved the paper around.

"You're very welcome" he nodded and met her eyes for just a second before looking away.

"Anyway I better get going" Rose was all excitement now.

"Good luck" Amy gave her a hug.

"Thank you both" Rose smiled at them.

"Have a fantastic time Rose" the Doctor said, turning away and walking a few steps up the hill before turning back "Come along Pond" a grin spread across his face "We've got work to do".

Amy rolled her eyes "Goodbye Rose" she too turned to leave "Oh and Rose".

"Yeah?" Rose answered, halfway through putting coordinates in.

"Head for somewhere nice yeah? It'll take you a while to search the whole universe so just enjoy yourself" She nodded.

"Thanks again Amy" Rose pressed the last button and disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

"Doctor what are you doing?" Amy frowned as the Doctor raced around the console room.

"I may or may not have put a simple tracking device into the vortex manipulator" he grinned at her.

"How did you even find the time to do that?!" she asked in amazement.

"I always have the time, I'm the lord of time" he pressed a couple more buttons "Ahha here we are! She's on Sraxuania, interesting place, on the green list" he nodded approvingly.

"So what do you say we go to Sraxuania?"

"We're already there" he turned to her with a smirk on his face "Come along Pond, we've got a Rose to find".

* * *

They stepped out of the TARDIS and into a supply cupboard "Ah good" the Doctor nodded to himself "If it's in a cupboard then she won't be able to find it by accident".

"So clever" Amy rolled her eyes "Come on then!" she rushed through the door with him trailing behind her.

They emerged outside into a large courtyard. All along the edge of the courtyard were market stalls and strange looking people selling even stranger looking wares. The Doctor and Amy made their way down on of the rows slowly though constantly on the lookout for Rose. At one point he was sure he saw her but when he finally got at the right angle to see her face what he saw didn't look anything like his Rose, unless she'd grown tentacle since last he saw her.

Amy noticed a gift shop up the road "Right Doctor I'm going to go have a little look in there while we're at it alright?"

"Yeah sure" he waved her away "Go for it, I'll be right here" he plonked himself down on the edge of a flowerbed and watched the various people walk by, chatting away, buying the groceries for their families. Oh how he envied the simplicity of their lives sometimes, the working, the marriage, the children, he knew that he would soon get bored with it but it didn't stop him from really wishing that he had that kind of contentment in his life.

He was so deep in thought the he barely noticed when his eyes made contact with another pair of brown ones, familiar, beautiful brown ones. He was about to stand up when in a flash of gold she was gone. A moment later she appeared beside him and he flinched for a moment.

"Are you following me?" she asked, her eyes narrowed "It's been barely a day since I left London and yet here you are".

He couldn't help but smirk "I get around, you just happened to be in my path. Perhaps you're following me" he shrugged.

"But why would you want to follow me?" she asked more herself then him "Amy assured me that you're both human so you must be from the future at some point, correct?"

"I'm from wherever I want to be from" the Doctor grinned.

Rose raised her eyebrows "What's your name?"

His face fell for a moment as he tried to come up with a name, John Smith wouldn't work and neither would James McCrimmon. "Uh I'm..."

"You don't want to tell me do you?" she grinned, a burning in her eyes "I will find out eventually you know".

"Oh really and how is that?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well you see, I'm looking for my friend and when I find my friend he can do practically anything so if I care to I will find out who you are in a heartbeat or two" she said cheekily.

He laughed and nodded before jumping up of the little wall he'd been sitting on "I think you may have over-estimated your friend" he grinned at her.

"Why is that?" she stood up to stand in front of him.

"Because I am very..." he trailed off for a minute to think of the word "Slippery" he finished triumphantly.

"Oh yeah?" she grabbed his arm and pressed a button on her vortex manipulator.

They appeared on a grassy hillside overlooking a city. The scent of apples filled the Doctor's lungs and he breathed deeply "New Earth" he blinked at it in surprise "New New York".

"Well actually it's the fifteenth since the original" Rose added with a smirk.

"Yeah I know" he said quietly "Rose why did you bring me here? I have to get back to Amy you just stranded her on Sraxuania".

"Oh did I?" Rose looked at him apologetically "You know how to work this thing, you can get us back" she patted the vortex manipulator lovingly "But for now, we have some time to adventure. Come on" she pulled him along the hillside until they reached the same spot they had been in all those years ago. The Doctor then surprised her by taking off his coat, laying it out and relaxing down onto it.

"What are you doing?" she asked warily.

"Well I'm just relaxing" he smiled up at her "You should try it sometime".

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea" Rose said in a worried voice "Maybe I should just go home and live out the rest of the millennia there, he's bound to come sometime right?"

The Doctor leapt up from his comfortable position and hurried over to her "Rose don't talk like that" as usual he was speaking a little more tenderly then he intended whilst he was still playing the stranger "It's good for you to see the universe".

"But I want to see it with him" Rose could no longer hold the tears that came coursing down her cheeks.

"And I'm sure you will" the Doctor assured her "Any man would have to be insane not to want you Rose and I'm sure he's no exception".

Rose laughed and wiped away her tears "How do you know, you don't know him?" she shook her head "And how can you say such nice things about me, I could have killed you the other night and I just kidnapped you".

"Oh what's life without a little risk" he grinned at her "Besides, I knew exactly how to get back, and honestly it's a vortex manipulator not a TARDIS or something".

"What did you say?" she looked have him with wide-eyes and was going to press further but he had already set the coordinates and they were travelling once again through the vortex.

Once they were back on Sraxuania the Doctor shook himself a little "Never get used to time travel without a vessel" he said to no one in particular.

"Raggedy man!" came Amy's slightly angry sounding but relieved voice "Where have you been?"

"Hello to you too Amy" the Doctor smiled "Rose and I just took a little trip to New Earth, she kidnapped me but me being the intelligent man that I am, escaped".

"Bringing me back with you, of course" Rose said sarcastically, accepting the hand he offered her and standing up.

"So then" Amy grinned at the pair "What's going on here then?"

"Well I was just about to ask you if it was time you wanted to be heading off actually" he hinted to her.

"Ah yes alright then" she nodded "I guess we'll see you around then Rose".

"Yeah, nice to see you again" Rose waved as they walked away. She was still a bit disorientated from the trip to New Earth but nothing could stop her from hearing a very familiar sound after the other two went around the corner.

* * *

**Oooo so the next chapter will have things go a little bit wrong :) I am currently writing it but for now I leave you with a cliffhanger...Is it a cliffhanger? I never write cliffhangers in my fanfictions so I dunno is it? It kinda is I think but anyway thanks for reading and i'll try to update soon, Thank you :)**


	4. Getting a little messy

**Ok so here's the next chapter. I hope you're not disppointed but I promise there'll be something good coming up in the next chapter. **

**Thanks for you you're reviews, favourites and follows, they're much appreciated :)**

Rose didn't know if she should feel grateful or upset. The Doctor had to have regenerated or they were his companions. He'd left her with a vortex manipulator to explore the universe which clearly meant that he didn't want her travelling with him and his beautiful young companion Amy. Even if the bowtie man wasn't the Doctor then it meant that they knew him and they kept it a secret from her.  
She had already pressed the button when a thought struck her. What if they didn't go in the TARDIS? What if it had only just arrived when they went around the corner? "No!" she told herself "No! They were in on it somehow!"

The planet she arrived on was completely covered in a thick layer of jungle. A small town was in view down below in a valley so Rose made her way carefully down the rocks to reach it. Once she was down in the valley she ventured carefully into the small and primitive town. The people barely looked at her; in fact they looked a little more like trees then people so she assumed they were some sort of dryad.

Her current position was...she checked off her list: remote, foreign, largely uninhabitable and Doctor free. Yep that made for a perfect hideout. She sat against a tree and opened up her small pack. Inside was a bottle of water, a banana, a book that she had got on Sraxuania and the list of planets that the stranger had given her. Okay so the pack had been some tourists and they had left it unattended so what? She traced her finger over the writing at the bottom of the list, could the Doctor really have written it? She shoved it back inside her bag and rested her head back against the tree, only just realising how very tired she really was.

* * *

Hours later Rose was shaken awake by someone who remained blurry in her vision for several minutes. "You" Rose choked out "You lied to me!"

"What?" Amy stepped back in astonishment.

"You do know the Doctor" Rose gained back some of her strength and almost growled out her words "I never want to see you or the bowtie guy again alright? And if by some chance the Doctor isn't one of the two of you then I don't want to see him either".

"But you were searching for the Doctor weren't you?" Amy asked her, unfazed and offering a hand to help her up.

Rose begrudgingly took the hand offered and allowed Amy to pull her up. "Not any more I'm not, you two lied to me about knowing the Doctor and if you know him then that means that he knows I'm in this universe" she sighed "If he knows I'm in this universe but he doesn't want me to travel with him then I'm just lucky I got this vortex manipulator when I did" she pressed in the buttons and was about to leave when Amy grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. Rose tried to shake her off but by the time she'd pressed the last button they were both hurtling through the time vortex.

* * *

Amy staggered away from her "What are you doing?!"

"I had to get away" Rose called back to her "Why did you grab me?"

"Because I need you to see reason" she panted "You wouldn't even be out here if I hadn't told the Doctor to let you go".

"What do you mean to 'let me go'?" Rose scowled at her.

"He wanted to take you with us straight away but I told him to let you go out and explore the universe first" Amy sighed "I thought you'd be happy that I at least thought of you".

Rose stayed quiet for a few moments "So who is 'us'? Who is travelling with you?"

"Just me, the Doctor and my husband".

"Do you want me to take you back now?" Rose asked her quietly.

"Yeah if you wouldn't mind, but what will you do?"

"I suppose I'll keep travelling like you said" Rose shrugged "If the Doctor doesn't want me with him then what is the point in hoping".  
"I just told you that"-

"You just told me something that sounds really sweet on your part, but you don't have to sugar coat anything for me. I know that I am just one in a longer line of companions and that sooner or later he'll forget me just like he does with the others".

"He could never forget you!" Amy was incredibly shocked at how stubborn Rose was being.

"I'm taking you back" Rose pressed the button, giving Amy just enough time to grab hold of her arm before they left.

Amy stumbled over to lean against a tree trunk "Rose please don't do this again" she pleaded.

The Doctor came running from the trees to stand by Amy's side "Amy, are you ok?" he asked her quickly.

"Yeah, I think so" Amy lifted her eyes back up to Rose who shook her head.

The Doctor turned to look at her just as she vanished into thin air "Oh Amy I'm getting quite tired of this" he sighed "She doesn't even know who I am".

"Hey you were the one who wanted to remain anonymous, Mr Enigmatic" Amy raised an eyebrow at him "Besides, she thinks that she's just one in a long line of companions and that you're just going to forget about her".

"What?!" the Doctor spluttered "We have got to fix this now! I need her to know that I care about her!"

"Well genius, now neither of us will get within a mile of her without her bolting so what's your plan?"

"Amy Pond we have the greatest weapon to our advantage" the Doctor grinned.

"What? What is it?" Amy asked excitedly.

"Your husband" the Doctor beamed at her confused face "Think about it, he's visiting his dad or something, right?" Amy nodded "So we can just jump forward like we were going to anyway and pick him up, he can have a little chitchat to Rose and she can't just freak out. How's that?"

"Hmm not bad" Amy nodded "Alright then, let's go and get Mr Pond".

* * *

Rory sat on a park bench waiting for the Doctor to return with his wife. She had already called him and told him the plan so he knew exactly what to do. He hadn't been keen at first because it would mean that he would be stranded on an unfamiliar planet with a woman who clearly didn't like that Doctor at that time, but then they said that there was a tracker on her vortex manipulator so he knew that they would be able to keep track of him if Rose jumped with him.

The TARDIS appeared in front of him and he leapt up just in time to be assaulted by Amy's embrace. He hugged her tightly back "I missed you" he smiled at her.

She cupped his cheeks and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips before turning back towards the Doctor, who was in the doorway of the TARDIS "You're gonna owe this man a favour Doctor" she kept an arm around her husband.

"I know, I know now let's get going!" the Doctor's eyes lit up and he raced back inside.

"He's keen" Rory commented.

Amy laughed "Just imagine the woman you love has been missing in a parallel world for a few years and she now randomly returned and your desperate to tell her who you are because your face was different last time you saw each other".

"Oh that's nothing" Rory shrugged "Two thousand years, remember?"

"I know" Amy kissed his cheek "Was it worth the wait?"

"Definitely" he gave her one last kiss before they both entered the TARDIS, arm in arm.

* * *

"Alright Rory so you know what she looks like now just go and talk to her, she has no idea who you are so she can't freak out again" the Doctor smiled encouragingly.

Rory nodded and made his way along the crowded streets, they'd made sure the planet was on the green list so he had some assurance at least. He wandered past several market stalls with people selling various artefacts. Everything seemed almost too normal, too human for a different planet. He was just admiring a pretty gemstone on a necklace that would have suited Amy perfectly when he felt someone grab his hand and pull him into an alleyway. He looked up at the person in question and had to try his hardest to hide his shock.

"What are you insane?!" Rose hissed at him.

"Uh...uh no why?" he asked, puzzled.

"Everyone else on this planet isn't human" she explained in a whisper "They come out of their shells, so to speak, at the same time every day, so we humans have to stay out of the main street. Surely you knew that?"

"No sorry I'm new here" he said quietly "I had no idea so thank you for saving me".

Rose's face softened "No problem, we'll have to stay in this alley for a couple of minutes; they don't come in here at all. I think they like the sun".

"I'm Rory by the way" he offered her his hand to shake.

She smiled and took it "Nice to meet you Rory, I'm Rose".

"So what brings you to...well this place" he gestured around them "I mean as far as I can tell, we're both human right?"

"Yeah" she walked over to the wall and slid off her pack to sit down "I'm avoiding someone actually" she shook her head "It sounds really stupid when I say it out loud".

"Well" Rory sat down beside her "It does sound a little extreme, jumping a whole planet away just to avoid someone, though everything sounds that crazy these days" he shook his head.

"The problem is that I really love the guy, I can't stop myself even if I wanted to" she sighed wearily "I haven't even been gone that long and he's already trying to track me down, I don't even know what he looks like anymore".

"Well that's a problem for you" Rory smiled and to his relief Rose smiled back "I was supposed to come here to help out a friend but I suppose if I needed a complete stranger to save me within the first ten minutes then I'm not going to be the most successful person in achieving my goal".

"I wish I could just go back to when he and I were first separated and stop it somehow" she sighed.

"Sounds like you almost want him to find you".

Rose rubbed the back of her neck, a habit she had picked up from the Doctor. "I kind of do but I don't want him to send his minions. If his face has changed then I want to see him, standing there in the doorway of his ship, holding out his hand to me" she paused "but then again I know that this is what is best for me. He needs to know that he can't just take me back if he wants to, he needs to know that I am my own woman and I can do things on my own" she sprang up from the wall "It's time I decided what the universe has in store for me".

"So you're going to go exploring alone? Isn't that dangerous?" Rory stood up as well.

"Yeah it will be" Rose grinned "but that is the way we liked it him and I, it wouldn't be exciting if something didn't go wrong".

"Saving the universe by yourself then?" he asked with a smile "I can't really see the appeal in it".

"I think Amy was right" she smiled to herself "It is really to best thing to do in the circumstances".

"But what if the guy comes for you? Will you go with him again?"

"I don't know yet" she said excitedly "but first I need time".

"You have a lot of that by the looks of it" he nodded to the vortex manipulator.

"Yeah" she grinned "So do you need a lift anywhere?"

"No I just texted my ride" he smiled "You go out there Rose, enjoy the universe".

Rose's grin faded slightly when she saw the TARDIS materializing behind Rory. "I...uh..." she stammered.

Rory placed his hands on her shoulders "Go Rose, I'm serious ok? When the time comes you need to talk to him, but for now just leave, I'll make something up for you if I have to". He walked over to the TARDIS leaving her standing there gobsmacked. He opened the door, but before stepping inside he gave her one last nod and disappeared.

* * *

The Doctor sat on the jump seat alone. Rory had just told him everything that had happened and once again he felt horrible. Why hadn't he just gone himself or just told her who he was? Everything was becoming a big complicated mess and Rose was going to be the one who would take the hit.

He made a decision that the next day he would drop Amy and Rory back to their home for the night and he would go and see Rose. There was nothing else for it. The first time had been easy because she didn't know who he was but now he was going to talk to her with the sole purpose of letting her know who he was and how he felt. He ran a hand nervously through his hair and smiled, he'd never been able to kick that habit since his last regeneration. It was time for all of the questions to be answered, for all of the sentences to be finished, for confessions to be made, and he wasn't going to run, oh no, if he ran anywhere it would be straight into the arms of Rose Tyler.

* * *

**Ok yes it was fairly random, but on the plus side it was a good way to bring Rory into it. Without spoiling anything I will say that there will be a little more cat and mouse going on before they finally get to meet properly, depending on what I feel like doing at the time :P**

**Reviews are always great of feel free to tell me what you think and I'll try to update soon :)**


	5. Keep you safe

**Hello! Sorry about the wait, but consider yourselves lucky. I was going to wait until all four of my current stories were ready for updating but I finished this and thought alright then :P Ok so I hope this chapter will be good enough. I wrote this chapter three times until I got the right one. Each version was totally different in location and mood etc. but I decided I liked this one best. I REALLY hope I don't disappoint you guys :)**

* * *

Rose sat down on one of the stools against the bar. She didn't even check the name of the planet she went to, so she wasn't even sure it was safe. It seemed that everyone she met was scheming with the Doctor, messing around with her as they pleased. She didn't even know how they kept finding her, were they on every planet? Did the Doctor have a scout on every planet waiting for her?

A man approached her and she groaned inwardly. He looked basically human except for some slight details like his eyes which were bright orange, which meant unless they were very odd contact lenses; he was an alien of some description.

"Hey there" he smiled at her, revealing very sharp and unappealing teeth.

"Hi" she replied shortly, turning automatically back to the drink in front of her.

"So..." he leant against the bar beside her, much too close for her comfort "Do you come here often or...?"

Rose couldn't help but snort "Listen mate there's no way I'm leaving this bar with you alright? Now go back to your game of pool, your mates will be missing you".

"That's no way to speak" he growled at her "Who are you to consider yourself so far above me?"

"Careful" came a familiar voice from further around the crescent of the practically empty bar "I hear her boyfriend is a timelord".

Rose's head snapped up and she caught sight of the man with the bowtie and tweed jacket. He was just sitting there casually sipping his lemonade through a straw. (She didn't know about its extra fizz qualities :P)

"Ha!" the man started laughing "Timelords are extinct, I haven't seen a timelord since the war have you?" he asked one of the other customers who shook their head.

"I'd say you have" the Doctor nodded, not at all trying to hide the smirk on his face.

"Alright then so how many timelords are left then?" the man asked sceptically.

"Just one" both Rose and the Doctor answered at the same time.

"Oh so you're both trying to tell me that her boyfriend is that last timelord in existence? You've got to be kidding me!" he cackled.

"No we're really not" the Doctor shook his head.

"Then what's your proof?"

"Oh you see" the Doctor jumped off his stool, quickly licking off his straw and putting it safely back in his coat pocket "That's the problem with you humans" he sculled the rest of his lemonade "You're in constant need of proof aren't you?"

"I'm not completely human" the man replied, moving back slightly as the Doctor moved to sit on the stool the other side of Rose.

"Oh hardly any of you are these days" the Doctor waved a hand dismissively "What is it, the fiftieth century?"

"You mean you don't even know the date?" the man glared at him "Where have you been living exactly?"

"I've been living wherever I want to" the Doctor grinned "No usually I can tell the year but with Rose here I can get it a little wrong, let's lots of time energy in there" he gestured to her head, making her glare at him.

"You still didn't answer my question" the man shook his head for a moment as if literally shaking out the distraction.

"What question was that then?" the Doctor asked, tearing his eyes away from Rose.

"What proof do you have, not only that timelords still exist but that this little tart even knows one?" the man gestured impatiently to Rose who glowered at him.

The Doctor's face turned to one of absolute fury "Do you really want to know?" he kept his voice dangerously calm. The man gulped and nodded "Well then" the Doctor pressed his fingers to the man's temples and he gasped before crumpling to the floor in a faint.

"I think its best you leave" said the bartender from behind the bar.

"Yeah I know" the Doctor nodded "Coming Rose?" he asked, offering her a hand.

"Um..." she hesitated for a moment.

"Oh come on" he quirked an eyebrow at her "You can't really tell me you'd rather stay here with them?" he gestured to a few of the bars dodgy looking characters.

Rose shook her head and took the hand he offered. He led her outside into the dark alleyway and turned to her expectantly.

"Why are you following me?" he eyes narrowed "I'm no one special".

"I think we both know you are" he smiled softly "Bad Wolf".

She tensed up at the sound of the name and took a step back "How do you know who I am?"

"Well aside from the obvious" he pointed to his own eyes, then to hers which her glowing slightly in the darkness "I know it's not the first time you've taken a strangers hand and let him lead you wherever he wanted".

"Who are you?" she scowled at him, the cocky man with the stupid little bowtie. Well actually she didn't really hate the bowtie because bowties were cool and she'd be a fool to believe otherwise.

"I think you know" he looked seriously down into her eyes.

"Yeah" she nodded her head, a half-smile trying to get past her stubborn lips "I kind of figured".

"So how have you been?" he sat down on an old crate and watched her find her own to sit on.

"Not exactly the hello I was expecting" she spoke bitterly, but there was still a tiny note of her old teasing in her voice.

"I'm sorry" the Doctor shook his head "I should have come to you straight away and I know it. I was just too afraid; I'll even admit it alright? I, the Doctor, was afraid of seeing Rose Tyler again".

"But why?" she asked in a small voice "You know how I feel about you so why run?"

"Because that's what I've always done" he threw his hands up in the air "Especially when there is no chance in the whole universe that I could ever endeavour to deserve you".

She sat for a moment to absorb his words. Tears were forming in her eyes and she wiped them away hastily "You've regenerated" she managed a small laugh "I really like the bowtie".

"Bowties are cool" he agreed, straightening it and temporarily distracting himself from their conversation "Listen Rose..." he paused "I want to be...I need to be there for you ok? I don't care what you say, I will never stop following you, even if you went to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, I would never let you go".

"Well" she laughed "that's either really romantic and sweet or really creepy and annoying".

"I was hoping the first one would be more your response" he confessed "Rose you know how I feel about you, I have never stopped loving you, I've spent decades travelling since you've been gone, but I've always wished I could have you with me. I even considered crossing my own time stream and stealing you from me" he shook his head, smiling "Now how's that for desperate?"

"If you really regretted it Doctor, then why did you let me go with him anyway?" she asked quietly.

"Because I love you too much" he ran a hand nervously through his floppy hair "I really thought I could give you something better. It was only after I had said goodbye to you that I saw the error of my ways, but by then the walls were closed and I was left to say goodbye to the rest of my companions. You all broke my heart that day" he smiled sadly "Sarah-Jane had to be with her son, Jack had his Torchwood team, Mickey and Martha had each other, Donna had to forget and you...well you were going to live the one adventure I could never have".

Rose shook her head at him "I'm sure every one of your companions since me has told you it's not a good idea for you to be alone. That adventure Doctor, it's the one adventure I never want to have, because it would mean that you wouldn't be there with me. The slow path has never been my destiny, I have always wanted and hoped for something more, and since you came along I've found my real purpose in life".

"But you were never meant to have this sort of life" he sighed.

"Are you saying that I was never meant to take your hand when you told me to run? That I was never meant to save your life on the game station? Because I don't think there's any way in the universe that that wasn't meant to be...that we're not meant to be" she finished weakly.

"Rose" the Doctor stood up and moved carefully towards her. She hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to meet him and wrapping her arms around his middle.

"Please don't run from me Doctor" Rose murmured into his jacket.

"I won't Rose Tyler, I promise you" he pulled back to look into her eyes as he spoke. She took the opportunity to completely close the gap between them and press her lips firmly to his. His hands flailed about in the air for a few seconds before he coiled them tightly around her waist, kissing her back enthusiastically.

"Well that was certainly a lot better than I had anticipated" she laughed.

"Hey!" he poked her in the stomach playfully "What did you mean by that?"

"I didn't mean that I thought it would be terrible" she giggled "I just really wasn't sure what it would be like to kiss you, the real you, new regeneration, different lips and everything".

He laughed, but kept his hands securely on her hips "Well I'm glad I didn't disappoint" he grinned "So anyway, what do you say Rose Tyler?" he asked, pressing a small button, making the TARDIS appear behind him "Come traveling with me again?"

Rose sighed and shook her head sadly "I can't Doctor, I'd love to but I just can't".

"Why not?" he asked, his voice weak.

"Because...because I just can't ok? Just trust me it's as much for you as it is for me. In fact I'm doing this for you" she backed away slowly.

"Being apart from you is going to kill me Rose" a single tear ran down his cheek. It pulled at Rose's heart but her stubbornness prevented her from yielding.

"Doctor" she spoke softly "You know that I would come with you in a heartbeat if there was any other way. Please do yourself a favour ok? Stop following me and just try to move on, enjoy your time with your companions and never look back".

The Doctor felt the tears run down his face "You know that nothing you say is going to stop me from following you, or loving you for that matter".

"I know" she shook her head and smiled "You always were a stubborn man, my Doctor".

"I always will be...yours I mean, I'll always be your stubborn Doctor" he managed to smile at her.

"I'm counting on it" she wrapped him in her arms again for one more kiss before disappearing again in golden light. From around the corner she took a deep breath and pressed the buttons of the vortex manipulator. She would see him again, she promised herself that.

A couple of weeks had passed since she had parted with Rory that day and her attitude had changed so much. She had toured around a few planets and escaped a few dangers, but the main thing she learned was that she was hunted. People desired to capture the power of the Bad Wolf and she had to run to avoid them. That was why she could not risk getting the Doctor involved. The sort of people that wanted her power would not hesitate to kill the Doctor, even if he was the last of his kind. She told herself two things, over and over again in her head, one: that she would see the Doctor again and two: that she would protect him at all costs.

* * *

**Ok so how'd I go? Good? Bad? :P Anyway I will not be able to update until Monday, maybe even after that. I hope you liked it! :) My other stories will be updated t some point tomorrow hopefully...hopefully :P **


	6. She will be his saviour

**Ok so I know this is late and I'm sorry. The summary to this story will be edited quite heavily after this chapter so i'm sorry if you wanted this to just be a normal story but that's not really how I roll. **

**Spoilers: This chapter references to: Well I don't want to spoil it but it makes it pretty obvious anyway. To Clara and the Silence, and to Trenzalore. Basically you have to have watched last years Christmas special (although mine will twist a bit on that and probably the fiftieth also).**

**Oh and also I added a random bit of the first Doctor in here. Forgive me if he's not right but I haven't seen that many of his episodes to know what he's really like, but I figured polite and a little more proper would cover it (what I imagined)**

**Hope you like it :)**

* * *

The Doctor blocked his ears. Amy had been yelling at him for the past half an hour at least. They were trapped in cages, suspended over lava, in other words, the usual. How was he to know that the people of the planet they just popped in to visit hated strangers, especially travellers? He sighed and removed his hands from his ears.

"Amy just listen to me" he attempted to calm her down.

"You said this place was lovely" Amy glowered at him "Well such a lovely pit of lava it's turned out to be.

"Will you just let the man talk for a moment?" Rory asked his wife quietly and cowered when she turned her glare on him.

"Thank you Rory" the Doctor nodded to him "First of all I did not know that they had such strict rules about travellers, alright?

"Ok" Rory nodded and Amy just sat there fuming.

"Second of all, you wanted to come here" he threw his hands up in the air "You saw it on a pamphlet and said 'Oh Doctor this place looks nice' so you can't blame me for that. Anyway, besides the lava pit it is quite lovely".

"Doctor"-

"Prisoners!" came the booming voice of the warden "You have been cleared for release; you are to go straight to your ship and leave, never to return".

"Well that's a bit dramatic isn't it?" the Doctor frowned "How did we earn our freedom anyway?"

"What does it matter?" Amy hissed at him as their cage was slowly raised to safety.

"Someone bailed you out".

The Doctor's eyebrows went up "Who? Last time I checked I've only got two friends" Amy glowered at him "One friend" he corrected himself.

"You will have to speak to the officer at the gate for that information" the warden pulled the lever for the Doctor's cage to be raised as well.

"Thank you" the Doctor nodded to the warden who completely ignored him "Ah right then, come along Ponds". He led the way through the prison to where the gate was.

"You have been released" the man nodded "You are free to go".

"Yes thank you" the Doctor nodded to the man "but first of all I'd just like to ask who it was who bailed us out".

The man nodded "Ah yes, it was a beautiful woman with hair like starlight. She left this for you" he pulled out a little red rose and slid it across the counter to the Doctor.

"Ah..." the Doctor picked up the rose and sniffed it, it had been sprayed with her perfume and he closed his eyes while he inhaled her scent. "Thank you". He strode out of the room without a backward glance at the man or his two companions who raced along behind him to catch up.

"Doctor what does that mean? Are you ever going to tell us what happened when you met with Rose?" Amy called after him.

"It means she's watching over me" he turned around only when they were right in front of the TARDIS "Last time I saw her she told me she had to leave me for the good of us both and that I should move on and I shouldn't try to find her".

"Did she also realise it was ridiculous to even ask that of you?" Amy cocked an eyebrow at him and he grinned.

"Yes she did which is why she's been tracking me- us everywhere we go, keeping tabs so that I can't go and get her. She's been keeping me safe while she runs from me".

"But why is she running from you?" Rory asked, obviously confused.

"I'm not sure" the Doctor paused to unlock the door of the TARDIS before turning back to them "but if she's running then it must be dangerous, she is the bravest woman I've ever known and she's running so..."

"So we should probably run too then?" Rory asked hopefully.

The Doctor grinned "Obviously not. The only running I'll be doing is towards Rose Tyler".

* * *

Rose walked slowly down the street. She'd landed in London of nineteen sixty five and so far hadn't found anything dangerous, which was good of course, but it only made her paranoid. A faint rustling sound came from the bushes to her right and she made a quick run for the cover of the trees. The streets were dark and the street lights cast a gloomy light over the whole area.

Rose turned around from her position and found herself face to face with an older man. She nearly bowled him over in her shock. She recognised the man instantly, having studied all of the Doctor's past regenerations.

"Doctor" she breathed.

"Who are you?" he frowned at her "How do you know who I am?"

"I'm no one" she shook her head "Mixed up timelines don't worry about it. My question is: what are you doing in a bush?"

"Ah well, yes" he nodded "I do see how my presence here could be taken as odd. I was just hiding here for a moment because some rather unsavoury characters were chasing me. If you know me in the future then you know I get up to some wild things and meet wild people. My future regenerations have actually found me quite often by mistake. They bring some trouble for me I'll have you know. All sorts of people come looking for me; only I don't know who they are or what they want".

Rose giggled "Yeah I can easily believe that" she nodded "Always looking for trouble you lot".

"So are you a future friend of mine?" he asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Yeah" she grinned "Yeah I guess you could say that".

"Then I look forward to meeting you" he nodded to her "However I must leave right now".

"Oh yes of course" Rose grinned "See you around".

He nodded and departed. A few minutes later Rose heard the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising and she smiled. She had just met the first Doctor; he actually looked like an old man and everything. She had a little giggle to herself as she continued on her way down the street.

Another rustle in a bush to her left made her stop "Doctor?" she questioned.

"Bad Wolf" a female sounding voice hissed.

Rose sighed "What do you want? If you want to capture me go ahead and try" she held her hands up in mock surrender.

"No we do not seek to capture you" a hooded figure emerged from the darkness but did not unveil their face.

"Then what do you want from me then?" she frowned.

"We want you to stop doing what you are doing" the voice almost sounded like a plea.

"You mean protecting the Doctor?"

"Yes. He must be prevented from ever reaching a certain time in his life. The universe depends on his never making it there".

"What so you want to kill him then? Kill the greatest man in the universe just so he can't reach a certain part of his timeline?"

"We do not wish to kill him, but that is what will occur if he does not change his course. That is why we need your help. Keep him away from that part of his life and we will be able to spare him".

"You want me to manufacture his timeline?" Rose asked in disbelief and the woman nodded "That's just wrong though. Everybody has a destiny. I've seen what you are trying to prevent and believe me it will not be anything like you imagine it to be".

"What makes it so different this time around?"

"I'm here" Rose pointed to herself "I can prevent what you're fearing will happen, with just a flick of my wrist" she demonstrated.

"We are aware of your powers Bad Wolf".

"Then let me help him" she said getting frustrated "I can help dodge around everything if necessary. Anyway why are you worried about that now? The Doctor's got at least two hundred years til that has to happen anyway".

"We must move swiftly if we are to avoid it".

"Then let me help him, please? I'll sign a contract, whatever you like. Just let me help him".

The woman seemed to be sizing her up "Would you be able to promise us the safety of the universe?"

Roe snorted "It's my universe too, do you really think I'd let it burn?"

"Be careful Bad Wolf" she woman placed a hand on her shoulder "Just because you are powerful doesn't mean you don't have weaknesses. A girl must be created for this to succeed. A leaf must fall from a tree at a precise time or she will never be born".

"I know what must be done and I will make things work accordingly" Rose nodded.

"And the Doctor? Will he know of this?"

"Not if I can help it" Rose took a deep breath "I'll just be like a shadow to him. He'll have me with him the whole time without even knowing it and I'll be gone before he can turn around and see me".

"Won't that be very hard for you?"

"That's the job description" Rose shrugged "I've already been helping him for a month; a couple of centuries will be nothing".

"And then what will you do? After the situation has been avoided?"

"I dunno, go find him I suppose. Confess everything to him and hope he still wants me around".

"You have sacrificed so much and endured so many hardships, and yet you still run to him".

"He is everything to me" said Rose defiantly.

"I only hope he will prove himself deserving of such love".

"He already has" Rose smiled at her. The Doctor had proven he was worthy of her love the moment he took her hand and told her to run. If he hadn't proved it in their whole time together, him telling her he loved her barely a month ago was definitely proof enough that he was both worthy and capable of love.

"Until we meet again Bad Wolf" the woman bowed her head.

Rose nodded to her "Until next time".

The woman vanished and Rose let out the breath she had been holding. Closing her eyes she allowed the golden light to envelope her as she teleported a short distance away to stand on one of the rooftops. She surveyed the street below her. She was going to save so many people. The Doctor would live, the girl would be born, and she would be his salvation whether he knew it yet or not.

* * *

**Ok, so it's a bit short and it turns the story around a little bit, but I still hope you like it. I'm sorry about the gap between updates but I have four stories going at the moment and my biggest one takes up the most of my writing time. My apologies again. Thanks for following this story :D**


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